Santa Fe Dam Renaissance Faire, 2005
Official Web Site
Do you want to have some real fun? Do
something exciting and interesting for a change?
Do you like history? Exotic costumes? Different
food? Outdoor shows? Dancing and revelry? Or do
you just want to look at some pretty wenches?
If so, the Renaissance Faire could fill the
bill. Every year starting in mid-April and
continuing for six to eight weekends, the faire
comes to Southern California. In past years it
was in Agora Hills, and those days are
remembered with much fondness by many. My first
faire was the year that it moved to Glen Helen
park in San Bernardino county, and I fondly
remember that faire as well. Glen Helen was well
suited to this type of show, with scenic
mountains in the background, a lake and some
interesting terrain.
 I
love the faire and look forward with great
anticipation to the event every single year.
Most of all, I enjoy the costumes. I enjoy
seeing people dress up, sometimes authentic down
to the style of sewing and type of buttons, more
often a flamboyant get-up with no basis in any
history of any nation. The performers
(participants) are all, of course, wearing
clothes and props from 500 years ago. The
visitors, such as myself, can wear whatever they
want.
Sometimes guests come in street clothes,
sometimes in something they found in their
closet, occasionally something from a costume
store, and often wearing, as I do, something
purchased specifically for the faire by one of
the many shops specializing in such things.
 The
dancing is always fun to watch, especially the
belly dancers. This year they were quite
talented and seemed to wander all over the
faire, doing their dances on stage, in front of
shops and just about anywhere else they wanted.
I've not seen belly dancers outside of faire, so
for me they are exotic and unknown. Some of the
dancers were covered in jewelry everywhere;
chains hanging from their nose, necklaces around
their necks, rings on their fingers and
bracelets on their arms. I especially enjoyed
the sounds of the dance: the bells, drums and
other instruments.
 This
year, 2005, I attended the faire every weekend,
and each time was the same yet different. At
first, as usual, the weather was overcast,
drizzly and cool. Later, as summer approached,
the temperatures grew hot and the air became
more dusty.
 The
faire has more than just pretty costumes and
cute dancers: it has sound. Everywhere there are
the sounds. Bells, drums, horns, voices and just
about every other sound you can imagine. I enjoy
the music much more than today's carefully
crafted, rehearsed, electronically modified and
profitable trash. In fact, I could listen to the
music at the faire all day long: in fact, that's
what I spent a lot of my time doing.
 One
of the prime attractions, something that must be
seen, is the queen. This lady is the centerpiece
of the faire, the character around whom all
other characters revolve. The opening act, which
starts thirty minutes before the faire opens,
sings a song in honor of the queen. The joists
and mock battles are all done for the queen and
many of the parades feature this grand lady. Her
costume is incredible and after attending faire
this year I felt like this lady would have made
a good queen of England. That's how well she
plays her part.
Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area 2005
 In
2005, the faire moved to a new location, the
Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale. As
chance would have it, this location was one heck
of a lot closer to me than Glen Helen. In fact,
it was less than a thirty minute drive instead
of the previous ninety minutes. Partly because
of this, I attended Faire more often and for
longer (all day long) than before.
I met some cool people and had a wonderful
time seeing them each of the five weekends. Some
of them found this website, and I delighted in
receiving emails from
them thanking me for their pictures or telling
me a little more about their characters.
 I
like this new location much better than the old
one, and not just because it's closer to me.
There is a small lake (just like Glen Helen)
with a very nice view of the mountains in the
background. It's much cooler, and there was
always a breeze.
Picture Collections of My
Faire Visits
May 22,
2005 (Fast
Index) (498 images)
May 15,
2005 (Fast
Index) (747 images)
May 8,
2005 (Fast
Index) (825 images)
 I've
never gotten a tattoo of any kind in my entire
life. It's just something that never crossed my
mind. Today I spotted the "henna" booth and
decided to try one out. Henna is temporary, only
lasting for a couple of weeks, and I think it
looks pretty cool. I picked out a dragon because
that's the creature that I feel represents
myself: power, charm, sleek and wise. Dragons
are good creatures, slow to anger, calm and
powerful. This lovely lady drew the dragon on my
hand, and I think she did a fantastic job.
May 1,
2005 (Fast
Index) (855 images)
April 30,
2005 (Fast
Index) (942 images)
April 23,
2005 (Fast
Index) (1,384 images)
April 17,
2005 (Fast
Index) (632 images)
 The
face painting is something new for the faire
this year, and it's new for me as well. I've
never had any kind of body painting done before,
so this was kind of bold for me. I enjoyed the
experience for some reason - it added something
to the visit to the faire. I hope the face
painters continue to do their work in the years
to come. It's especially quite amusing to see
the paint on children's faces - I think getting
their faces painted somehow makes children enjoy
the faire even more. It's something a child
would do and enjoy far more than most adults.
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